Hunter: Suffering from growth
Letter to the editor
“Stop — in the name of love! Before you break my heart.” Just what I’m thinking when I see this valley build, build, build. “Think it over. Think it over.” (Supremes, of course.)
Does this valley really need thousands upon thousands more people? Everywhere you look there are new houses and new apartments. The prices to buy and to rent keep going up. People said there are not enough so we should build more, and the prices will come down. How’s that working out?
Why is this happening? Easy answer.This is a nice place to live. Beautiful surroundings. Lots to do. Clean air. Good schools. But hey. This is a narrow valley. The traffic gets worse by the day. Air quality is showing problems now and then. We are facing serious water shortages.
Everything we need and use here has to be brought in by truck. Those supply lines are going to suffer from climate change problems. Like fires and rock slides. Local amenities like skiing and hiking are getting used much more. Reservations are a thing. Working people are having to move farther away. More commuting.
All the new living spaces increase population. More people requires more services. Services from day care to health care to a myriad of other basic needs must be expanded. Still more growth.
“I’ve tried so hard, hard to be patient. Hoping you’ll stop this infatuation.” Well, we all know what this song is getting to: communication. We really need to talk. Before too many of us get that broken heart.
Patrick Hunter
Carbondale